It all started when
by Invader Poetic
Summary: Set 3 months before "The Nightmare Begins", this fic is my version of how Dib was recruited into the Swollen Eyeballs, but also involves a sinister plot invoked by the Earth AND Irken military. Zim will feature in later chapters.
1. Answers that lead to more questions

Disclaimer: Jhonen Vasquez owns Invader Zim... I don't. There is no justice in the world.

A/N: A few things you should know, This story is set roughly 3 months before "The Nightmare Begins" and AIM is an online chatting service. Oh yeah, my name's Poetic, nice to meet you!

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**Chapter 1: Answers only lead to more questions

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**

Dib sat down at his desk, utterly exhausted from a hard day at skool. He picked up his laptop and booted up AIM.

: has added you to their buddy list :

: click :

Government Guy: Hello Dib.

Dib: Uh..hello?

Government Guy: We are in need of your assistance.

Dib: Who are you?

Government Guy: I'm sorry, that information is classified.

: click :

Dib: Your profile says your Larry Davidson, and your address is right there...

Government Guy: THAT INFORMATION IS CLASSIFIED!

Dib: Then why did you put it in your profile?

Government Guy: Hrm..enough chit-chat, go to the following address and tell no-one.

Dib: My dad isn't just going to let me leave at this hour.

Government Guy: Fine, tell him that your going to meet... A friend!

Dib: He won't believe that.

Government Guy: Why not?

Dib: I..uh..don't really have any friends.

Government Guy: Oh...tell him your going to go for a walk.

Dib: How do I know I can trust you?

Government Guy: They're coming.

Dib: What? Who's coming?

: Government Guy has logged out :

Dib stared into the screen for sometime, contemplating what to do.

_The Earth is in danger..._

"Alright i'll do it!" Dib yelled to no-one in particular. "Shut Up!" Gaz yelled back through the wall.

Dib knew now that he had become involved with something big, and his large head was filled with questions.

"I'm going out!" Dib yelled to his dad, who paid him no attention...until he reached the door.'

"And where do you think your going young man?" Prof. Membrane looked into the face of his son and saw a rare spark in his eyes, something he had not seen since his mother's passing.

_Think! Oh..I am thinking...OK think of an excuse to go outside! _"I need to water the garden". _Yeah that was brilliant._

"Have fun then, don't stay out too late!" Prof. Membrane watched his son dash out the door and into the early night. "He'll be alright Dad", Gaz had come in while Dib was leaving and was now watching her eccentric father closely.

As Dib was walking down the sidewalk a black car started trailing him from a distance of a few metres. _What the hell?_ Dib started jogging and then running as the car matched his speed.

Just as he was about to turn into a sidestreet the car whipped around him and a man stepped out.

The man was around 5'6, and was wearing a black trenchcoat. He walked over and Dib was startled to see that the strange man was covered with bruises and deep gashes.

When at last he did speak, Dib asked "Who are you?" The man looked at him with one of his eyebrow's raised and said quietly "You seem to be having to say that a lot today, huh."

"Government Guy?" Dib leaned in close to ask and was answered by a slight headshake. "No, he is still waiting for you, which reminds me..." The man pulled back his long sleeve on his right arm to reveal...DIB'S WATCH!

Amazed, Dib looked at his own arm where, sure enough, the exact same watch was ticking. "...You can't afford to be late, not for this."

Dib studied his face for a moment, something about him seemed eerily familiar.

"Before you go, I want you to have this." The man handed him a yellow envelope, covered in something which looked like...blood!

"I know what it looks like but it's just red paint." Dib nodded before asking, "How did you get paint on it?" Dib blinked and the man was gone.

The man suddenly reappeared and jumped into his car, then was gone...again.

_Maybe I should just go home now...then again...THE EARTH IS IN DANGER!_

Dib soon arrived at the address, which turned out to be one of those little parks inbetween roads which only have a few trees and are completely useless.

"Hello?" Dib whispered into the darkness, "Is anyone out there?"

Dib felt a tug on his neck and whipped around to see a glimpse of a tubby man before a gas mask was shoved onto his face. "Sleep well little one..."

Dib tried to fight back, to remove the mask, but he suddenly started to move r e a l l y s l o w l y. He hit the ground with a thud and as darkness enveloped his brain he just had time to think _is this the end?_

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Dib: Oh my god, are they going to rape me?

Poetic: No.

Dib: Good.

: Awkward silence :

Poetic: Can anyone guess what's going on? I bet you can't!

Dib: I'll bet...5 dollars that someone will figure it out.

Poetic: Done, now review this fic so we can determine the winner! More reviews equals faster updates!

Gaz: One more thing, we need someone to proof-read this fic every week, if your up to it please leave your contact details in a review!

Poetic: Good idea!

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	2. The Tallest and the Shortest

Disclaimer: Jhonen Vasquez lost the rights to Invader Zim to me in a card game...then I woke up. DAMN!

A/N: As much as you all want to know how Dib is doing, a certain tiny Irken deserves a chapter.

Skoodge: Finally! My own chapter!

Poetic: Hehehe, No.

Skoodge: But you sai- AHHHHHH

Skoodge falls through trap door

Poetic: It's story time children!

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**Chapter 2: The Tallest and The Shortest

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**

"I couldn't find my invitation, your lucky I made it at all." Zim told his Tallest, oblivious to their disbelief.

"You weren't invited!" Purple said in an exasperated tone. Zim just stared back.

: Don't worry, I wont quote the entire episode, just enough for new readers :

"WHO WANTS THIS ONE?" Red screamed to the excited Invaders. "I DO" came a reply from somewhere in the crowd. : Whack :

Zim ran up to his leaders and, as usual, spoke his mind. "Finally, a robot slave to call my own, GIVE TO ZIM!"

Purple thought quickly and informed Zim, "We have a 'special' unit for you Zim."

Purple and Red hovered over to the trash thing and assembled a robot from various objects such as keys and old SIR parts.

"Whoooooo!" Red introduced the new unit which fell to the ground.

Zim looked at it for a moment before pointing out, "It looks kind of...not good."

Purple quickly replied, "Yes, that's what the enemy will think!"

Suddenly the robot activated and reported to it's new master, "Gir, reporting for duty."

After the meeting on Conventia was complete, Zim and his new assistant boarded their voot and headed to a unknown planet called Earth.

Their journey would take approximately 2 months, which will almost certainly drive Zim to the brink of insanity.

However, as Zim was preparing the auto-pilot, he noticed something strange. "Our oxygen and food supplies are almost completely empty! Gir, didn't I tell you to stock the ship?"

Gir looked back, thought for a moment and replied in a cutesy voice, "Maybe..."

Checking his holo-chart, Zim determined they were too far away to make it back to Conventia and if they tried to go at a faster speed their fuel would be diminished too quickly.

"Our only option is to go to the nearest inhabited planet and gather supplies." Zim started punching co-ordinates into the computer and they were on their way.

Gir grinned and asked "Where are we going master?" Zim grabbed the robot who was floating around in zero-g and strapped him in. "We're going to-" "Where are we going?"

As this was the first time Zim had been interrupted by Gir, he simply repeated himself. "We're going-" "WHERE ARE WE GOING?"

This continued for sometime until the computer issued a proximity alert. PROXIMITY ALERT!

Zim, halfway through screaming that they were going to a planet called Tamik, began communicating with the landing sattellites in order to secure a landing pad.

"Welcome to Tamik, Invader..." A smarmy voice crackled through the com. "Zim." Zim felt a little unsettled, The Tamikians where supposed to be a highly technological planet, conquered by the Armada many years ago. _He's hiding something... And this line is far too distorted... I wonder_- "You've jacked this line haven't you, what's going on down there?"

: Jacking means to hijack, the Tamikian has overridden a signal in order to spy or give false information :

The line went dead.

Gir's eyes flashed red for a moment before stating, "Sir, gunfire has been detected on the planet and particle emissions have reached a substantial amount."

Zim was stunned, _I thought he was defective..._ "Gir, activate information retrieval systems, and display your findings onscreen.

A picture of a Tamikian eating a taco came up on the screen and he suddenly crumpled, clutching his chest. He fell to the ground, clearly dead. An Irken stepped over him with an energy weapon , aimed, and vaporised the corpse. A SIR unit looked in the direction of the ship (still in orbit thousands of kilometres above the surface). The ship seemed to shiver and the computer, in a strangely feminine voiceinformed Zimpolitely, "Leave this planet, it is already being taken over."

"My computer is taking over the planet?" Zim inquired stupidly. The computer replied, "What, no you moron i've just commandeered it for communication as my com was destroyed."

Zim was amazed to hear this, "But it's hot-wired into your pak! How was it destroyed?" The computer/Invader waited a moment before saying quietly, "That is not your concern, now go." Zim was on a mission afterall so he accepted this but then remembered, "I am here to restock vital supplies. I can't leave without them."

The computer/Invader seemed to sigh, before saying "Suit yourself then." The computer sputtered and in it's normal voice announced that it was operational again.

Zim had just began the voot's landing sequence as a huge beam of white shot through space, crippling the left wing of the voot.

Zim, after a moment of shock, tried to continue towards the planet but the blast had knocked out all but manouvering thrusters.

Zim soon made good use of these as beam after beam shot towards them, always missing but still doing damage. "GIR," Zim practically screamed, "Determine optimum landing co-ordinates!" Gir looked at him with his big...blue eyes...oh no. Gir laughed and screamed as the ship started to plummet towards the planets surface.

As the Voot spiralled to it's doom, Zim just had time to think _is this the end?

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_

Poetic: Did his last thought seem familiar?

Everyone: Duh, it was Dib's.

Poetic: Yup. By the way, this idea of the chapter for Dib then Zim will repeat several times until they finally meet for the last chapter.

Poetic: But i'll get there faster if I get some reviews! Speaking of, thanks to Dibsthe1 for helping me deal with that first SPAM review!


	3. Friend or Foe?

Disclaimer: Invader Zim wasn't made by me, if he was...maybe the world would be a better place.

Dibsthe1- I won't pretend I knew it was 6 months but Tamik is a fair way from Irk, and he won't be arriving on Earth in a voot ;)

EvilMewTwo- I'm going to read your story tonight, expect a review soon!

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**Chapter 3: Friend or Foe

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**

Dib awoke groggily, his head felt like it was about to explode and everything was pitch black.

He tried to stand but found he was bound to a chair, but only lightly. As he tried to reach out, his hand (which isn't tied down) brushed against his face and he quickly realised that he was wearing a blindfold.

Dib ripped it off and blinked, the room he was in was actually well lit. As his eyes became accustomed to the light he was aware of several others in the room. One came up to him and untied him, he could have done it himself except he was a little busy thinking _WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?_

Dib looked around the room and was surprised, he had been here before once, when he was little.

Dib suddenly remembered his capture and sprang to his feet, his mind unconsciously formatting many plans of escape.

"Relax Dib", A friendly voice came from behind him, "Your safe now."

Dib looked back and put on a brave face, "Being captured and held in a room full of weirdoes doesn't exactly make me feel safe."

The same voice replied, "I think you need to reconsider your current situation, not only have we rescued you, we are here to protect you."

Dib finally turned to face the man and looked him over quickly, he looked just like some secret agent, black coat, utility belt etc...

"How do I know I can trust you?" Dib was very confused, but strangely curious. The man chuckled and replied, "My name is Christopher, but you will address me as Agent Icarus."

The other members in the room gasped and looked very uncomfortable. "As you may have guessed, no one in this room knew my true identity until this moment. The fact that I have revealed it to you should prove my trust."

Dib nodded slowly, what he said made sense except for one thing. "If your identity is secret, why did you tell me?"

Icarus, as he was to be called, stiffened and the grin dissolved into his face to be replaced with a look of worry. "Because you are important Dib, we have a mission for you, one so top secret that not even the Earth's leaders are aware of it."

Dib, still not convinced, didn't raise his hopes but gave his final argument, "Why me?"

Icarus took Dib's arm and led him out of the room and into his "office", which was actually a Dilbert-style cubicle surrounded by at least a hundred others.

"We have chosen you because of your unique talent." Icarus explained to Dib. "What talent?" Dib was really curious now.

"You, like several others, have the Mark," Icarus replied, waiting to see Dib's reaction before continuing, "We are the Swollen Eyeballs Dib...and so are you!"

_What on earth is a swollen eyeball? **It is a covert group of agents who bear the Mark...**_

Dib almost fell off of his chair, "Who said that!"

Icarus smirked, he too had been shocked when he first heard the messengers.

Dib paused before asking slowly, "So..i'm a secret agent..bearing a 'mark'..and my job is to?"

"PROTECT THE UNIVERSE!" A unanimous reply rang out from every cubicle.

Dib was gettingvery freaked out so he decided on his final question. "What is...the Mark?"

Icarus, who had been typing some kind of report on his computer, smiled and pulled his left sleeve up.

Surprise, surprise, it's Dib's watch.

: Didn't see that one coming did you :

Dib pulled up his own sleeve and, once again, looked at his identical watch. However, it looked...different now. It had changed from digital to analogue : numbers to hands : except it had 4 hands instead of three.

"H..how is this possible?" Dib asked in wonder.

Icarus said, "It's the power of the Mark."

Dib had seen enough, he ran out of the cubicle and through the door opposite the one he had entered through.

Icarus sat down and booted up AIM.

Government Guy: Was the mission a success?

Agent Icarus: Yes, the boy knows nothing.

Government Guy: Excellent, make sure it stays that way.

: Government Guy has logged out :

Icarus stood up, stretched, and hit a small button under his desk. Halfway across town an alarm sounded and a tubby man put down his burrito. "It's go time!"

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Poetic: Whoo, so many plot twists!

Zim: I'M GOING TO CRASH!

Poetic: Uh...huh

Dib: And what the heck happened to me?

Gaz: No one cares.

Poetic: I think it's time for some real Author's Notes.

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Since this is my third chapter and I have 3 fans (YOU GUYS ROCK!) I will be changing my style a bit. You don't know this, but i'm writing this on my pocket pc (15cm x 20cm screen) on my school bus. This is the only time I write.

Now my pda has no 'keyboard', just a touch screen, so I can't type fast, which is why my chapters are so short.

However I will soon get a keyboard attachment and be able to write properly, most likely by chapter 10 or so. Sorry to make you read all this pointless info, but now you know.

Also, this fanfic was written almost entirely while listening to Green Day. Once again, sorry for the short chapters, but I can promise i'll update once a week!


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